Today, the number of vehicles on roads is growing at an exponential rate. The growth of vehicles on roads is leading to traffic congestion. Generally, traffic congestion happens at an intersection (cross junction) of roads. To curb the traffic congestion, traffic signaling devices are installed at the intersection. The traffic signaling devices manage the movement of vehicle traffic at an intersection based on a signaling time associated with traffic signal indications generated from the traffic signal devices. The signaling time for each direction is either manually controlled or is programmed for a predefined time period based on a past history of vehicle traffic flow. For example, the time associated with traffic signal at a particular cross junction can be varied during different hours of the day based on the past history of the vehicle traffic flow.
In the case of manually controlled traffic signals, the time associated with the traffic signal is not predefined and is generally controlled manually by a traffic officer based on traffic conditions. However, when the time associated with the traffic signals is programmed, a fixed time period is associated with each indication of the traffic signals and the traffic signals operate based on the predefined time period. However, the fixed time period may not be effective for different hours of the day, for example during peak traffic hours. To overcome this problem various road traffic management methods are available.
In one road traffic management method, traffic conditions are determined through visualization technologies using real-time imaging and interactive displays. Images of moving vehicles in each traffic lane are captured using high resolution cameras and the captured images are shown on a display screen. Thereafter, the traffic condition in each traffic lane is analyzed, and the traffic is managed based on the displayed captured images. However, this method is expensive, time consuming and may not be accurate.
In another road traffic management method, the number of vehicles in each traffic lane is estimated using sensors provided at predefined locations. When a vehicle passes through a predefined location having a sensor, a vehicle counter is incremented or decremented based on the movement of the vehicle. Thereafter, the number of vehicles counted is shared with a traffic signal controller for managing traffic signal indications. However, this method also has limitations like cost, noise tolerance, coverage, and accuracy.
Hence, there exists a need to efficiently estimate traffic conditions and manage vehicle traffic.